LANCASTER, Pa. - Blake Hargest and Meredith Lussier scored four goals apiece, while Shannon Summers handed out a career-high six assists to lead No. 3 Franklin & Marshall over 12th-ranked Babson in the regional semifinals of the 2008 NCAA Division III women's lacrosse championship on Saturday.

Summers finished with a game-high seven points, while Sarah Meisenberg scored twice and dished out four assists to help the Diplomats (17-1) advance to meet No. 11 Amherst in the national quarterfinals on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Lord Jeffs upset No. 6 Washington & Lee 10-8 in the other regional semifinal.

Hargest added two assists to go along with her four goals and Jen Pritchard found the back of the net three times, marking the 14th game this season in which she has scored three or more goals.

Linsday Bucci netted a hat trick, while Sarah Macary made seven saves and scooped up five ground balls for the Beavers (16-3), who were making their second NCAA appearance.

With an early blitz, Franklin & Marshall squared its all-time NCAA record at 9-9 and are within a win of its fourth trip to the national semifinals.

Lussier started the 6-0 run in the first half off an assist from Hargest at the 24:06 mark and Sarah Veneski scored her lone goal of the day 46 seconds later off a good clear attempt for a 2-0 lead, forcing a Babson timeout.

Pritchard found Lussier for her second of four goals and the infamous Summers-to-Hargest connection stretched the lead to 4-0 with 16:29 in remaining in the first half. Meisenberg fed the ball to Pritchard in front of the cage, before finishing a solo run to make it a six-goal advantage.

The Beavers got on the scoreboard with 39 ticks on the clock to prevent the first-half shutout on Anita Martingnetti's goal.

The Diplomats outscored Babson 9-3 in the second half, recording seven consecutive goals over an eight minute, 44 second span to take a commanding 13-2 lead. Summers tallied four assists, including three on goals by Hargest, and scored her only goal on the way down to hitting the ground to cap the 7-0 run at the 16:55 mark.

Bucci netted all three goals in the second half, with the final coming off a free-position shot with 3:09 left to play for a 15-4 margin.

Lidia Sanza made six saves in the cage. F&M held a 30-17 shot advantage and 12-9 edge in draw controls, thanks to a team-high five from Pritchard.

Score by Period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson..............  1  3 -  4
Franklin & Marshall.  6  9 - 15
 
Attendance: 427
 
Babson SCORING:
GOALS: Lindsay Bucci 3; Anita Martignetti 1.
ASSISTS: Melissa Martin 1; Kaitlyn Pettengill 1.
 
Franklin & Marshall SCORING:
GOALS: Mary Blake Hargest 4; Meredith Lussier 4; Jen Pritchard 3;
       Sarah Meisenberg 2; Shannon Summers 1; Sarah Veneski 1.
ASSISTS: Shannon Summers 6; Sarah Meisenberg 4; Mary Blake Hargest 2;
         Jen Pritchard 1.
 
SHOTS BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson.............. 11  6 - 17
Franklin & Marshall. 16 14 - 30
 
GROUND BALLS BY PRD   1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson..............  9  6 - 15
Franklin & Marshall.  8  9 - 17
 
DRAW CONTROLS BY PRD  1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson..............  4  5 -  9
Franklin & Marshall.  4  8 - 12
 
CLEARS BY PERIOD       1     2     Total
----------------------------------------
Babson..............  9-12  3-7  - 12-19
Franklin & Marshall. 11-11  6-8  - 17-19
 
FREE-POSITION SHOTS    1     2     Total
----------------------------------------
Babson..............  0-1   1-1  -  1-2
Franklin & Marshall.  0-0   1-1  -  1-1
 
SAVES BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson..............  4  3 -  7
Franklin & Marshall.  4  2 -  6
 
FOULS BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson..............  8 14 - 22
Franklin & Marshall.  3  5 -  8
 
TURNOVERS BY PRD      1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Babson.............. 10 10 - 20
Franklin & Marshall.  5  8 - 13

2008-05-10